


Emotional Rescue

by DanaWPatterson



Category: Blindspot (TV)
Genre: F/M, Replacement Scene, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-07
Updated: 2018-06-07
Packaged: 2019-05-19 03:53:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14866103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DanaWPatterson/pseuds/DanaWPatterson
Summary: "I had the shittiest day, and I wanted to talk about it with my best friend Edgar," Tasha said and held up a six pack. "I brought beer."





	Emotional Rescue

**Author's Note:**

> I have my suspicions, as I'm sure many of you do, that Tasha didn't really lose her CIA job. But for the sake of this fiction, I'm just gonna go with it. I'm also erasing THAT Rapata scene from 3x21 and replacing it with this one. There's not a lot of Rapata fics around here (and I'm guilty of contributing to that dearth) so, I'm giving you an "Emotional Rescue."

Reade wasn't expecting to find Tasha sitting on his doorstep when he arrived home from the NYO. But there she was, knees drawn up to her chin and tears staining her face. She had a six pack of the beer they both liked on the floor next to her. Tasha didn't seem to have heard his approach, and he stood in the hallway and watched with his hands in his pockets as she silently wiped away tears.  

"Stop staring at me," Tasha said, not looking up. She wiped away a final tear as it escaped from her eye and got to her feet. She picked up the beer and cradled it in front of her. "I'm looking for my best friend. Have you seen him?"

Reade frowned and took a few hesitant steps towards her. Tasha was the last person he was expecting to find waiting for him. He'd kissed her in the locker room and she had kissed him back. He still felt her hands on his face and neck. Tasha might be good at undercover work but she wasn't that good of an actress. But she rejected him just like she'd had the last time he'd made a move on her.

"What are you doing here, Tash?" 

Tasha shook her head miserably and wiped at her cheeks with the back of her hand.  

"I had the shittiest day, and I wanted to talk about it with my best friend Edgar," she said and held up the six pack. "I brought beer." 

Reade gave her a small smile and reached for the case. "Thanks. I was all out." He unlocked the door and started inside before turning back to Tasha. "Oh, did you wanna come in, too?" 

He meant it as a joke but the look on Tasha's face said it all. Her frowned deepened and she cast her eyes to the floor. Her lip trembled as more tears threatened to roll down her cheeks. It clearly was the wrong time for jokes. 

"C'mere," Reade said, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her in for a tight hug. "You know I can't stand that hurt puppy dog look. Get your ass in here." 

Tasha buried her face in Reade's chest and hugged him back. She felt herself on the verge of tears again and took a deep shuddering breath to get herself under control. She finally pulled out of the hug and followed Reade into his apartment. He tossed his suit jacket on the back of a nearby chair. 

"I'm sorry," she said. "I know you probably don't want me here after... but I needed to talk and I didn't know where to go. I've always talked to you." 

Reade pulled two beers from the six pack and put the remaining bottles in the refrigerator.  

"Forget about earlier. I'm always here for you, Tash," he said, sliding an open bottle across the bar to her. "You've still got me. You're still my best friend." 

Tasha sat down hard on one of the bar stools and took a long swallow of her beer. She thought about what he just said and set her beer back down.  

"Why?" 

"Why what?" Reade asked, his brow creasing in confusion. "Why am I here for you?" 

She nodded. 

"You're an idiot sometimes but you're still my best friend," he said, sitting down on the stool beside her. "You drive me absolutely crazy and you annoy the hell out of me, but you're okay to have around."  

She elbowed him in the ribs and smiled. It was the first time she'd smiled at anything since, well, she couldn't actually remember.  They fell into a comfortable silence for several moments while they both drank their beers. When Tasha started climbing the stairs to Reade's apartment, there were a million things she wanted to talk to him about: her job or sudden lack thereof, Patterson and Borden and the secret she'd been forced to keep, and the issue of Them. Now, the words seemed to escape her. She felt like she could just sit there next to Reade forever without ever saying a word. It was familiar and safe feeling.   

"Reade?" she asked, breaking the silence that had settled between them.  

"Hmm?" 

"What's wrong with me?" She didn't give him a chance to respond and pushed ahead. "Why do I keep fucking everything up? I don't know how to stop or how to fix any of it. I mean, Patterson? She's one of my best friends and I lied to her for two years. Because I thought I was protecting her when all I did was break her trust and lose her." 

"You didn't lose her. She's talking to you again, isn't she?" Reade said. "It's good." 

"It's not the same. She's more careful around me now. Careful with what she says, what she shares with me. Like I'm some poisonous snake that she's just waiting to get bit by." Tasha sighed. "I deserve all of it—" 

"Yeah you do," Reade agreed.  

"Thanks for your support." 

"Oh, come on, Tash," Reade protested. "You know you do. If I were Patterson, I don't know if I'd have forgiven you yet. That was pretty big. I mean, it's Borden. The guy tort—" 

"I know," Tasha said, cutting him off. She didn't need the play by play. She fell silent again. She knew it was big. The biggest. And as much as it hurt Patterson to hear that she'd been keeping Borden a secret for so long, it hurt Tasha that she'd cut Patterson so deeply with her actions, or rather her silence.  

"It's not just Patterson, though," Tasha said, taking another swallow from her beer. She shook the bottle lightly and listened to the liquid slosh against the glass. It was nearly empty. "I had a perfectly good job and poof. Gone. I don't even know what to do next. Where do I go from here?" 

Reade finished his beer and got up and grabbed two more from the refrigerator. He popped them open and handed one to Tasha as he headed into the living room. She got up and followed, sitting next to him on the couch.  

"Maybe it wasn't a perfectly good job," Reade said, draping his arm on the back of the couch behind her and stretching his legs out in front of him. "Can you honestly say you loved working for the CIA?" 

Tasha didn't respond. She didn't really have an answer for that. When she worked for the FBI, she was often frustrated by always going by the rulebook. She truly believed that sometimes you have to throw away the rules and just get the job done. The CIA was good at that. The problem with the CIA, however, was the constant erosion of her own morality and compassion and judgement. The CIA's general attitude seemed to be "get the job done and everything else be damned." And that wasn't so great either.  

"That's what I thought," Reade said when Tasha didn't answer the question. He took another swallow. "You can always come back to the FBI." 

"No," Tasha said, with a single shake of her head. "You don't want that. No one wants that. If the CIA won't trust me, why would the FBI?" 

"Because we know you," Reade said. "We've worked with you for years. You're a damn good agent." 

"Hmm," Tasha replied, sipping her beer. "You're only saying that because you're my friend." 

"Dammit, Tasha." Reade turned on the couch to face her and set his beer down. "Don't be an idiot. I'd say it even if you weren't my friend. You're good at your job. A little cocky and headstrong and pigheaded maybe but a good agent. The CIA isn't the end all and be all. Who cares what Keaton thinks? You never used to." 

Tasha set her own beer back down and she blinked back more tears. "How can you be like this?" 

"Like what?" 

"Like this," Tasha said, waving her hand in the air in front of Reade. "I've ruined everything for you with Meg and I'm such a mess. And you're sitting here as sweet as ever, saying everything I need to hear. Why are you so good to me? I don't deserve it."

Reade picked his beer back up and drummed his fingers against the bottle as he leaned back into the couch. He thought about his answer. It was pretty much the same thing he'd told her in the locker room that had sent her running out of the room. He hesitated.  

"Reade?"  

He shook his head and let out a long breath. "Because you're you," he said. "You’re my best friend. I mean, I have no problem giving you crap for all the stupid,  _stupid_ stunts you pull, and you really can pull 'em,  but you have to stop doing that to yourself. You beat yourself up over everything. Just stop. Let it go. Stop trying to fix everything and take care of everyone and let someone take care of you." 

Tasha stared at him for a beat.  

"I'm not some damsel in distress, Reade," she said pointedly. "I don't need —" 

"Don't need what? Someone to give a damn about you?" Reade asked. His voice grew louder and he had to restrain himself from yelling. "Someone to take care of you? Someone who wants to be with you and who loves you and would do everything he could to move the whole world 10 degrees clockwise if that's what it took to make you happy? 

"Someone like you?" she asked in a small voice. 

"Look, Tash, I don't know what it is between you and me —" 

"Reade," she protested. 

"No, let me finish," he said. "I don't know what it is that's between us. I know you don't want to talk about this but that's tough. You infuriate me. You drive me absolutely crazy. I'm serious. But there is something between us. Don't shake your head no. You know I'm right." 

Tasha bit her lower lip nervously and looked away. She knew this was going to come up again. Reade had kissed her earlier and she hadn't exactly discouraged it. She let herself fall into it, deepening what probably shouldn't have happened at all. At least not there. She loved Reade. She'd told him as much when she explained why she couldn't be his best man. And that had blown up in her face. If only she'd told him that the day he kissed her two years ago instead of freaking out and running away. She was tired of running.  

"You know I'm right," Reade pressed. "You can pretend I'm wrong, and that's on you. But you told me that you love me. What was that? Was that crap?" 

"No," Tasha admitted. 

"So, you love me," Reade said. He let the words hang there for a minute. "And I sure as hell love you." 

"The timing is wrong. It's just off," Tasha said.  

Reade recoiled as if she had slapped him. "What timing? Who cares about timing? You said you love me. What does timing have to do with anything?" 

"I'm emotional. I just lost my job. You just broke up with Meg. I came here so you could rescue me from my own self-loathing. There couldn't possibly be a worse time," she said. 

"Keep looking for excuses, Tash," he said. "You'll find millions of 'em. If you look long and hard enough you'll find plenty of reasons not to do something. But if you really want something, you only need one reason to go for it." 

Tasha took a deep breath. She didn't expect it to be uneven and shuddery. An unexpected tear rolled down her cheek. She took another breath and held it before blowing it out slowly.  

"One reason?" 

"Yeah," Reade said. "One reason. That's all you need." 

She gave a single nod, silently making up her mind.  

"Okay then," she said. She leaned over and kissed Reade on the lips.  

Reade wasn't prepared for Tasha's sudden kiss and he didn't immediately kiss her back. When she began to pull away, however, he brought his hands to her face and held her there, returning her kiss with a fierce hunger. He felt Tasha's body relax and her hands went to the back of his neck, caressing a spot there. Tasha broke the kiss first, gasping for air. Reade studied her face for a minute and grabbed both her hands.  

"Don't you dare run," he said. 

Tasha smiled and laughed softly. "I'm not. I just needed to breathe," she said, gently freeing her hands and resting her arms on his shoulders, dragging her fingers lightly over his neck. She kissed him again.  

Reade's mind was racing. He'd been waiting for this for years. He almost felt like pinching himself to make sure it wasn't just another dream. He gripped Tasha's hips and lifted her off the couch and set her down on his lap so that they were facing each other. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he shifted forward on the couch and nipped at her lip. Tasha pulled away and chuckled softly.  

"Easy there, tough guy," she said as she ran her hands over his shoulders and down his chest. She tugged playfully on his tie as Reade kissed a trail from the corner of her mouth down her neck to her collarbone. "What's your hurry? I'm not going anywhere." 

Reade stopped kissing her and leaned back so he could look her in the eyes.  

"Two years ago, I kissed you," Reade explained. "You said we were friends and just left me hangin' here." 

"You said it was the meds." 

"I lied," Reade said. "It's been two years of hoping you'd decide we could be more than that. And?" 

Tasha responded by kissing him again.  

"You're my best friend," she said when she pulled away. "And if you can turn the world 10 degrees clockwise, I'd be an idiot not to give it a shot.  You said I only needed one reason." 

Reade laughed. "You do know I can't actually turn the world, right? I thought maybe your one reason was that you loved me or something." 

"That too," she said and kissed him softly.  

He ran his hands underneath the back of her blouse, feeling the softness of her skin and the hard edges of scars as he returned the kiss, slipping his tongue between her lips and moaning quietly against her lips. Tasha's hands once again found his tie and she tugged it free from his vest. She fumbled to loosen the knot, accidentally tightening it before she was able to undo it. She tossed it to the ground and set her hands to work on the five buttons that held his vest closed.  

"I hate this vest," she said when Reade broke the kiss. She was still fumbling with the buttons and he gently pushed her hands away to remove it for her.  

"Hey, now," he said. "Don't be hatin' on my vest. I look sharp." 

"You look like a senior bank executive," she said, kissing his lips again. Once they'd begun kissing, she was finding it difficult to keep her lips off of him. 

"Yeah, but a  _sexy_  senior bank executive, right?" 

Tasha gave a non-committal response and lowered her lips to his jaw. She placed small kisses along his jawline and down his neck. When she reached his shirt collar, she started working on his shirt buttons. They were less frustrating than the vest and she soon had it open. She ran her hands over his undershirt, feeling the hard ridges of his abs as she sucked on a spot on his collarbone.  

Reade made quick work of Tasha's blouse.  His fingers dexterously released the buttons and he shoved the silky material off her shoulders and down her arms leaving Tasha in a lacy black bra. She shifted on his lap, feeling the length of his growing arousal pressing into her. He kissed her again and pushed her away slightly. He gazed into her eyes and saw the questioning look there.  

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked. He gave a silent prayer that she wasn't about to change her mind. 

She leaned down and kissed him again. "Yeah," she said. "I don't want to think about it anymore. I'm done running." 

He'd been hoping to hear those words from her for so long, and he kissed her again before standing up, wrapping his arms around her waist so she came with him.  

"Not here," he said as he started carrying her towards the bedroom. "It feels cheap. On the couch, I mean. I want this right for you." 

Tasha laughed softly and the musical sound of it tickled Reade's ears. He felt his arousal straining against his pants. Just being with Tasha like this was doing some kind of number on him.  

"Look at the chivalry," she teased and ducked her head as he carried her dangerously close to a wall. She felt herself start to slip from his grip. "Reade! Don’t drop me!" 

He adjusted his grasp and pulled her body closer to him as she tightened her own grip around his shoulders and hips. He kissed the tip of her nose. "Never." 

He set her carefully on the bed and stepped back, allowing his dress shirt to fall away and pulling his undershirt over his head. Tasha found the button of her own pants and shucked them down her legs. When Reade was freed from his shirts, his breath hitched. Tasha was lying back against the bed pillows in nothing but a matching bra and panties set. He'd seen her in her underwear before but at that moment, he'd never seen anything sexier. He couldn't help but stare.  

Tasha brushed a piece of hair out of her face and watched Reade's reaction.  

"See something you like?" she asked, painfully aware of how cheesy and cliché that sounded but she didn't care. Reade's face had transformed from one of love to sheer lust. She leaned forward and grabbed the belt loops of his pants and tugged, pulling him onto the bed with her.  

He kneeled on either side of Tasha and braced himself above her with his arms and kissed her hard. The soft, gentle kisses from earlier were replaced with bruising, urgent kisses that sent butterflies loose in Tasha's stomach. She brought her hands to his powerful forearms and tried to pull him closer as he bit at her lower lip. Tasha couldn't stop the low moan that escaped her.  

Reade resisted her urgings and brought his hands to her breasts, massaging them gently through her bra before slipping a hand inside one of the cups and running his thumb over the nipple. He felt it begin to pucker under his touch and he turned his attention to her other breast. Tasha reached behind herself and unhooked the garment, letting it drop away. Reade dragged it slowly down her arms and away from her chest. He kissed her hard on the lips again and peppered her jaw and neck with small kisses as he worked his way down, leaving a kiss on the top of each breast. 

Tasha brought her hands to the back of Reade's head as he kissed and suckled at her breasts. She felt his tongue lave her left nipple, and she arched her back, offering her breasts to him more fully. She traced lazy circles on the back of his head as he drew the peaked nipple into his mouth and bit down lightly, tugging on it before turning his attention to her right breast and repeating the action.  

"Ed," Tasha moaned, making Reade's heart skipped a beat. He'd waited so long for this and hearing Tasha moan his name made him redouble his efforts. He wanted nothing more than to make her moan his name again and again.  

Reade continued licking and sucking while his right hand trailed down her body. He traced the taught muscles of her stomach before reaching her black panties and letting a single finger roam below the top edge of the thin material. He felt her tilt her hips up to urge his hand to continue its southward journey. He acquiesced and ran his hand between her thighs, over the damp fabric and felt a new wave of excitement as he felt evidence of her own arousal.  

He pulled his mouth away from her breasts and returned to her mouth as he climbed back up the bed to lay beside her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her as close as he could. They lay there kissing for several moments, exploring each other's mouths and finding the spots that made the other groan. Tasha's right hand left its spot on his shoulder and ran down his body, finally finding his hard length. She was having a hard time ignoring the desperate throbbing between her legs and was done with his light teasing. Tasha gripped him through his pants, and Reade groaned at the sudden contact.  

In an instant Tasha had pushed Reade flat on his back and she was working the button on his slacks as she straddled his legs. She reached her hand inside his pants, the back of her hand forcing the zipper to separate, and she grasped him.  

"Tasha," Reade gasped, bucking his hips involuntarily as she made contact with him. He felt her tight grip as she pumped him several times and rolled his eyes back in his head. The sensation was almost too much. Kissing Tasha had been like something out of a dream but this was otherworldly.  

Reade pushed her hand away suddenly, and she sat back on her heels on the edge of the bed as he quickly shed his pants and boxers. She reached for him again but found their positions switched abruptly. Reade had grabbed her roughly around the waist and laid her back on the bed. He shoved his knee between her legs and forced them apart. He leaned down and kissed her again, trailing his mouth down her body.  He placed kisses on a few of the scars that blemished her perfect skin and dipped his tongue into her bellybutton before reaching the place where her thighs met.  

Tasha felt the heat of Reade's breath on her as he lingered just above the line of her underpants. She waited for him to pull them away but instead his hand made sudden contact with her mound. He rubbed her through her panties before yanking the garment away with a sudden ferocity. Tasha heard the fabric tear under the force and a new gush of moisture flooded her. Most of the men she'd slept with were usually too concerned with getting theirs to handle her at all, let alone so roughly.   

She let out a loud, unashamed moan as Reade's fingers separated her folds and a single finger slowly sank deep into her core. He pulled it out just as slowly before plunging back inside. His thumb circled her clit and Tasha bucked her hips in response as he sank a second finger deep inside. She met each thrust of his fingers with her hips. Tasha tossed her head to the side as she felt herself nearing her climax when Reade's fingers suddenly disappeared. She let out a whine of protest and reached around blindly for Reade's hands. Reade chuckled and pulled his hands away from her.  

"Dammit, Reade," Tasha admonished in frustration as she continued to reach for him.  "Please." 

He made a clucking sound with his tongue and then his mouth was on her. He licked delicately at her clit before sucking it hard into his mouth.  

"Mierda!" Tasha yelled, slipping into Spanish and earning another hard suck from Reade. She bucked her hips wildly towards his mouth, feeling the stubble of his beard brush her thighs. He ran his tongue along her center, plunging inside her several times before her hands found his shoulders and she was pushing him away.  

Tasha pushed Reade backwards on the bed. She smirked at him as he reached to pull her down with him. She straddled his body and kissed him hungrily as she reached for his length, wrapping her hand around him as she lined him up with her entrance. She dropped down onto him suddenly and froze. Reade filled her completely and she needed to give herself a chance to adjust. At that moment, it felt as if Reade filled every empty space in her and she felt a surge of love for him. She kissed him passionately and gave him a nod as she rose back up.  

Reade grabbed her hips as he felt himself slipping from her and thrust back up into her. After a few moments, they found their rhythm and Tasha rode him, her hands on his chest as he steadied her with a hand on her hip. Reade began to break their rhythm as he felt his climax approaching. His thrusts became irregular and Tasha snaked her hand down to her clit. She frantically rubbed the overly sensitive bundle of nerves. They came together then, his name on her lips. Tasha fell forward onto him, and she kissed him as they came down. She felt his breath coming hard as she listened to his heart thud in his chest.  

When she'd caught her breath again, she slid off of him and curled up beside him. Reade wrapped a protective arm around her and pulled her tight, placing a kiss on the top of her head. Tasha felt like she could do that over and over again with him and wondered why she had run from him for so long. This felt incredibly right and nothing had felt this right to her in a very long time. She scooted even closer to him and looked up at his face.  

"You're staring at me," Reade said, recalling her words from the hallway.  

"I was just thinking," Tasha replied. Reade braced himself for what came next. She was going to run. He could feel it. She said nothing else and Reade had to ask. 

"About what?" 

"How did I ever get so lucky to fall in love with my best friend?" 

Reade's eyes went wide. He did not expect her to say anything close to that. That didn't sound like the Tasha Zapata he knew so well.  He looked down at her and saw her eyes searching him.  

"I'm not kidding," she said, sensing his confusion. She sat up and twisted her body to face him. Her face was serious. "You're my best friend." 

Reade nodded. Tasha gripped his hand suddenly and threaded her fingers between his.  

"Stop worrying," she said. "I'm not running anywhere. You've finally caught me." 

Reade kissed her. He'd hoped to hear those words from her one day. "Still think our timing is off?" 

Tasha shrugged. "We might need more practice," she said. "But I think we'll figure it out." 

 

 


End file.
